Buffing wheel



E. A. cLfiAsE BUFFING WHEEL PER '3, 1925.

Filed Feb; 14, 1922 Patented Feb. 3, 1925.

UNITED STATES ELROY A. CHASE, or non'rnrmnn, vnimour.

nurrme Application filed February 14, 1922. Serial No. 538,582.

ToIa ZZ whom 2'25 mayconcern:

Be it known that I, ELROY A. Grmsrra citizen of the United States, residing at Northfield, in, the. county of Washington and State of Vermont, have invented a new and useful Buflini'g Wheel, of which the following is a speci cation.

This' invention relates to a wheel for bufling orpolishing blocks of granite or other similar material. In polishing such blocks, the surface to be buffed is commonly not an exact plane surface but contains slightly raised or lowered portions which interfere with the'production of a uniform finish.

It is the object of my invention to provide a bufling wheel having a yieldable surface of improved construction, so designed that it will readily yield to pass over a raised portion of the stone and will promptly re-act to engage a depressed portion, thus quickly producing a satisfactory uniform polish.

With this general object in view, my invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

A preferred form of my improved wheel is shown in the drawings in which Fig. 1 is a plan view thereof;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation, the line 22 in Fig. 1;

Fig.3 is a sectional elevation taken along the line 3-3 in Fig. 1;

Figs. 4 and 5 are pers ective views of seplarate elements of my improved wheel; an

Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation, taken along the line 6-6 in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, I have shown a bulflng wheel comprising a rigid frame within which are secured a large number of separately yieldable polishing elements.

The frame 10 comprises an annular flange 11 and a plurality of concentric rings 12, secured to the flange 11 :by radial arms 13. A driving attachment 14. is provided at the center of the wheel, the attachment 14 being connected with the flange 11 by arms 15 (Fig. 6) preferably having an inclined or helical under surface.

The arms 15 are separated by openings 16 through which buffing or polishing powder may be fed to the center of the wheel. The propeller-like arms 15 act to carry the powtaken along der downward and to deliver the same under Ehe inner edges of the working or polishing ace.

The polishing or bufiing elements 20 are preferably .formed of felt or' some other suitable yielding or cushion-like material and are provided with shoulders 21.

Blocks 22 of felt or other material are provided for separating the bufiing elements 20, these parts 20 and 22 being alternately arranged in the annular openings between the rings 12, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

The parts 20 and 22 are of such thickness that they may be forced into the openings between the rings, the shoulders 21 engaging the lower faces of the rings and preventing upward displacement of the parts 20 under polishing pressure.

With the polishing elements 20 thus in spaced arrangement each separate element is permitted to yield, as indicated in Fig. 3, whenever a slightly raised portion of the surface to-be polished is encountered and similarly the parts will straighten out to reach a depressed surface as they'pass over the same. i

This construction, while exceedingly simple, is found to result in very great advantage in use, the time of pollshing a granite block being very materially reduced by the use of this improved wheel.

Having thus described my invention, it will be evident that changes and modifications can be made therein by those skilled in the art within the spirit and scope of my invention as set forth in the claims, and I do not wish to be otherwise limited to the details herein disclosed but what I claim is 1. A bufling wheel comprising a ri 'd rotatable frame and a plurality of exible bufling elements mounted therein and s aced apart both circumferentially and ra ially on the faceof said wheel, the circumferentially spacing elements being flexible and all of said elements being relatively small in cross-section and being separately yieldable both radially and circumferentially when engaged by the work.

2. A buifing wheel comprising a frame having a plurality of relatively narrow circumferential openings therein and a plurality of bufling elements secured ineach of said openings, the'work enga ing portions of said elements being spaced radially and ci-rcumferentially to permit apart both separate yielding movement thereof when engaged by the Work, the circumierentially spacing elements being flexible.

3. A buffing Wheel. comprising a frame having a plurality of concentric circular openings therein, a plurality of yieldable buffing elements secured in each separate opening, and flexible spacing elements separating adjacent bufiing elements and permitting circumferential yielding movement of thework engaging portions of said bufiing elements.

4:. A buffing wheel cemprising a frame having an annular flange, radial arms projecting therefrom, a pluralityofconcentric rings mounted underneath said arms and providing continuous circular'openings between said rings, and buffing elements and spacing devices alternately secured in the openings between said rings, each bufiing element bein o-frelatively small cross-section and being separately yieldable both radially and circumferentially,

5. A bufi'ing Wheel comprising a frame having an annular flange, radial arms projecting therefrom, a plurality of concentric rings mounted underneath said arms and providing continuous circular openings betweenesaid rings, and flexible bufl'ing elements and flexible spacing devices alternately secured in the openings between said rings, and being separately yieldable both radiallyand circumferentially.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

ELROY A. CHASE. 

